Hand-controlled tool.



Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

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CHARLES B. SIMMONS, OF BRlSTOL, ()QNNEOTlUUl, ASSIGNOR 01* ONE-HALF TO I. BA l'Lll'Y,

' OF PLANTSVILLE, CONNECTICUT;

HAND-CONTRGLLED TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed October 30, 1907. Serial No. 399,936.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Germans 1}. Simmons. a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, in the county 01' Hartibrd and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand- (lontrolled Tools, of which the following is a specification,

Myjnvention relates to improvements in screw drivers or analogous tools, and the main objects of my improvement are simplicity and economy in construction with convenience and eiiiciency in use, particularly with reference to inserting, holding, and detaching the tool or tools in and from the holder, and with reference to inserting the tool into its holder either end first.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1,

is a side elevation of my screw driver, the

tool being inserted in the holder with its tang ro ecting therefrom and the blade housed within the handle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, showing the end face of the holder and tool, the larger-part of the holder and handle in the distance being omitted from the said view. Fig. t is a side elevation of the outer end of the tool holder. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the split ring, or sprin latch. Fig. 6, is .a side elevation of'a mo ified form of tool, which may be held by its tang in the holder shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

A, designates the handle which is prefer- ;ably made long and provided with a central bore 7 that extends nearly its whole length. A combined ferrule 8 and tool holder'or socket 9, is secured upon the smaller end of the handle in any ordinary manner. The tool holder or socket has a central longitu- 'dinal bore and is provided with cross slots .10 at its outer end, and with a peripheral groove 11 near the mouth of the slots 10. Within this groove 11 is a spring latch 12, in the form of a split-ring of resilient metal,

- referabl formed of spring wire. H mm be slipped on over the end of the tool holder or socket and forced down into the groove, and should be so formed that it will be slightly under tension when in place. The

' groove 11 is'so located that this spring latch crosses the outer ends or the cross slots 1.0 liear theirmouth.

The screw driver or analogous implement is formed with a round tang 13, which is preferably knurled or roughened near its end to furnish a convenient grasping portion ll. 1n the preferred form, the bit of the tool. as for example the screw driver blade 15, is made of a size that will pass through'the central bore of the tool holder or socket 9, and the shank 10 which is between the tang and the blade is round and oi the same size as the tang, so that the implement or tool may be formed oi a lOllllt rod of metal.

Near the jun ction of the shank and tang, the tang is provided with a cross pin 17, of a size to lit into the cross slots and of an extreme length, a little in excess of the innerdiaineter of the spring latch 12 when the saidlatch is seated in its groove in the tool holder. The ends 18 of this cross pin are beveled or rounded oil, as shown, so as to present an inclined face to the spring latch when the cross-pin is either above or below the said spring latch. The length of the cross pin 17 between its two beveled ends is less than the inner diameter of the springlatch and less than the extreme diameter of the socket 9 at thepoint where the groove for the spring latch is formed. When the tool or implement is reversible, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2, it may be inserted blade end first so as to house the blade and shank of the tool. In so inserting the tool the beveled orrounded eiids 18 of the cross-pin 17, engage the spring latch and then a little endwise pressure on the tool will slightly expand the latch or split the tool holder by the tang, when it is held by the spring latch the same as before.

'YVhen not wanted for use, the tool may be reversed again so as to house the blade and shankwithin the handle. In this position it is much shorter than when extended for use, and may be readily carried in ones pocket.

The tool is easily taken out and put in and is also efficiently heldin place when in-v serted. This is of advantage when only a single tool is provided for one holder as for example, that shown in Figs. and 2; but the same construction is adapted to hold a set of tools having each a like tang and cross pin and bladesor bitsof varying forms, whether or not the blades are larger than the tang as is the blade of Fig 6.

In such tools the shank 16 may be of any desired length and the tang l3 need not have the grasping surface'hereinbefore described for the reversible tool, because the blade and shank are not to be housed in the end. In either case the tool is readily in-' serted and when in place it is held against accidental detachment, all being accomplished by a simple and inexpensive construction.

I claim as mv invention:

combination of a tool having a tang, with a cross pln having beveled ends and mounted in the said tang, and a socket or tool holder having abore to receive the said tang, cross slots near the outer end of the said bore, and a peripheral groove running into the said cross slots and a spring latch within the said groove in position for being engaged by the beveled ends of the said cross pin.

2. Ina hand controlled tool, the combination ofa handle having a central longitudinal bore extending nearly its Wholelength, a socket or tool holder mounted on-one end of the said handle and having a central bore to receive a tang, cross slots near the outer end of the bore and a, peripheralgroove running'into the said cross slots, a spring latch Within the said groove, and a reversible implement havinga bit, shank and tang with a cross-pin having beveled ends, the.

said cross-pin being fitted to the cross slots of the socket and the beveled ends of the cross-pin fitted to engage the said spring latch for holding the tool in place when it is inserted into the socket either end first.

8. In a hand controlled implement, the combination of a tool having a tang and a v rigid projection on the said tang provided with a beveled end face, asocket to receive the said tang, and a spring latch mounted on the outside of the socket in the position for being' engaged by the said beveled end face to force the IatchFout ardIy and permit the rsaid projection to .pass the latch and for .be-

1. In a hand controlled implement, thevthe said beveled end of the sai ing engaged after passing the latch by thesaid beveled end face to'yieldingly hold the tool in the socket.

4. A hand controlled implement compris ing a socket having a central bore with cross slots through the outer end into the said bore and a peripheral groove crossing the treme length of the said cross pin being a little in excess of the inner diameter of the said spring latch and its length between the said beveled ends being less than the inner diameter of the said spring latch and less than the extreme diameter of the said socket at the point where the said peripheral groove is formed.

5.'In a hand controlled implement, the combination of a tool having a tang, with a socket or tool'holder having a bore to receive the said tang, the said tool and socket being adapted for inserting the toollongitudinally into and out of the said socket and having means for preventing the rotation of the said tool within the said socket,

and a spring latch mounted on the said,

socket and adapted .to .yield outwardly to let the tool pass into the said socket and then retract inwardly and yieldingly holdthe tool 'within the said socket.

6. In a hand controlled implement, the combination of a tool having a tang with a projection extended laterally .from' the said tang and having abeveled outer end; a

socket or tool holder having a bore'to re ceive the .said tang, a cross slot near the outer end of said bore that extends radially through the side wall of the said socket from the bore outwardly to the periphery, and longitudinally of the socket to its outer end, and a peripheral groove around the ex terior of the said socket near the outer end of the said socketand outer end of'the said cross slottherein; and a spring latch mounted within the said groove inposition for being engaged by the beveled outer end of the said projection for forcing the said spring latch outwardly toward the mouth of the said groove to let the said projection pass the said latch and then to move inwardly toward thebottom of the said groove by its resiliency for enga ement with projection to 'yieldingly hold the tool Within the said socket.

CHARLES B. SIMMONS.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL B. CATTIN,

-CARLOS V, Mason.

va spring latch within the said groove,the ex- 

